Tuesday 11 March 2014

My Top Ten Fantasy Books

Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme hosted over at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic was "Your Top Ten All Time Favourites in X Genre". It was surprisingly hard to choose, but here's my list in all its fantastical glory. 





Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
A heartbreaking tale of vengeance and politics, set in a world ruled by two rival sorcerers who invaded decades earlier. But revolution is coming – to free the conquered states, and restore memories that were magically stolen from the citizens of Tigana. This is a character-heavy book where everyone makes dubious choices & you can’t help loving them for it.


Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey 
One of my favourite books of all time. The world Carey builds here is sumptuous. It’s renaissance Europe, shaped by different religions and the occasional stroke of magic. Add brilliant characters - including the best (female) gentleman bastard I have ever read - along with court politics, betrayal, war... . This is epic fantasy at its best.


The Scar by China Mieville
Nautical fantasy, featuring pirates, a chaotic boat city, lots of politics and (of course!) a magical quest. The setting is amazing, but the main character is sullen & fractious translator who barely seems to notice it. I can’t sing its praises enough.






 Bareback by Kit Whitfield
There isn’t much urban fantasy on this list, but this totally deserves to be here. The setting is Earth, but the majority of the population are werewolves. Lola isn’t. Discriminated against by wider society and bathed in bitterness about it, she works for an organisation that regulates moon nights and subsequently has extreme power over the werewolves in its system. Moving, despairing, and very interesting. 


Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
God, this book. You could enjoy it purely on the strength of its magic system; it’s very detailed, based on metals, and inordinately cool. However, it also comes with a strong cast of characters that make up a gang planning their biggest ‘heist’ in history: to overthrow the government, and to do it in style.  I approve.


Darkfall by Isobelle Carmody
A portal fantasy about two Australian girls who are sucked into Keltor, a realm with a mysterious connection to Earth. The world they enter is fascinating – full of understated magic, religious unrest, and politicking – and the characters are compelling. The only problem with this book is that it was first published in 1991. Thirteen years later, the last book in the trilogy still hasn’t been released.




Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Another great novel about a city with many layers. This one is about London’s magical underworld, and a hapless businessman who gets trapped within it. London Below is a stunning and dangerous place (although I always think I’d appreciate it more if I had a better knowledge of London), plus the plot is fun, the ending satisfying. What more could you want?


Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
This delightful novel is about gentlemen and magic during the start of the 19th century in England. It’s full of dry & ridiculous humour, tangents and footnotes, and an inescapable upswell of magic. Also pineapples. Don’t forget the pineapples.


Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey
I tried not to put too many books on this book by Jacqueline Carey, I really did. But Banewreaker is a stunning novel. First of a duology, it’s frequently described as an epic tragedy: the Lord of the Rings retold from Sauron’s point of view. Which, yes. It is. It’s also beautifully written, with viewpoints flickering between the “good” and the “evil”. There is also a dragon. And magic. This is the kind of book that makes me remember why I love fantasy so much.


    

Ombria in Shadow by Patricia Mckillip
An amazing book that I just realised I need to reread. Ombria in Shadow is a beautiful novel, with an otherworldly, mythological quality that a lot of other fantasy lacks. The multilayered city of Ombria is endlessly interesting, and there’s plenty of political intrigue too.

18 comments:

  1. I loved Neverwhere soooooo much!!! Great book. Also I hear a lot about Mistborn. I need to read that soon.

    Angie

    My Top Ten

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    1. Mistborn is great. Sanderson's magic systems are always entertaining.

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  2. Well, I dont really read this genre, but I think some of the covers look really interesting! Happy reading! :D
    Top 10 Favorite Contemporary Romance Novels
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    1. Aside from the fabulous Harry Potter, I take it? Thanks for commenting anyway :)

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  3. I haven't read any of these. I did enjoy Mieville's Railsea, so I have been thinking of reading something else by him.
    I also have never read ANYTHING by Gaiman, so Neverwhere might be a good choice too.

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    1. Yeah I thought Railsea was fun too. The Scar is an awesome book by Mieville, as is The City & The City (which isn't fantasy. It's more... speculative crime, I guess?).

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  4. Such good ones!! I just love so many of these - we have a lot of overlap on our lists! Guy Gavriel Kay is a definite must read for me - I just love everything he writes! I enjoy Carey but haven't ventured beyond her Phedre series (I think I've read all 3 of those trilogies). Ugh now I just want to read ALL the fantasy. :)

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    1. Yeah, I have Lord of Emperors sitting on my Kindle by him - but I want to wait until I really have time to enjoy it at length. Hopefully this will be next month sometime... :D

      I think Banewreaker & Godslayer by Carey were badly marketed (they even had inaccurate blurbs), but the novels themselves are stunning. They're quite close in tone to the Kushiel books. I held off reading them for years, but they're definitely worth checking out if you have time.

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  5. China Mieville is always being recommended, but I haven't read her (him?) yet.

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    1. Him. It's worth trying if you like speculative fiction :)

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  6. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is THE most awesome book about magic ever. I love your list, even though I've only read two - Clarke and Gaiman! I've read Kraken by China Mieville and he does have a way with atmosphere and setting, it creeps up on you. I can't wait to read The Scar. Ombria in Shadow sounds like another intriguing, "my" kind of read, that I would love to try. Thanks for this. Who doesn't love fantasy, right?

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    1. Indeed!

      Have you read Susanna Clark's short story collection? I tried, but didn't think it was quite as good. LOVED Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell though. Apparently it took her 12 or so years to write?...

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  7. I have a few of these in my TBR including some Guy Gavriel Kay and Jacqueline Carey. I need more time to read more books!

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    1. Don't we all?! Carey & Kay are both great authors though, so at least you know you'll be entertained.

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  8. Hmm. First comment never posted. Try again.

    I love your list because it is the closest to my own that I have seen so far (or at least what mine would be). Love The Scar, love JS&MN, prefer American Gods but Neverwhere is solid. And I need to read more McKillip, so far only Alphabet of Thorn has been read but it made me very happy indeed.

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    1. I remember loving Alphabet of Thorn. I also need to read more by her - I finished the Riddle Master Trilogy ages back, but nothing else. And she's written heaps...

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  9. Mistborn has been on my to-read pile for so long! I really need to get round to reading it. Great list!

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    1. Thanks! And yeah, Mistborn is really, really good :D

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